Prime Minister Nguyen
Tan Dung sent an urgent instruction to people's committees in cities and
provinces on Wednesday asking them to promptly strengthen inspections of
fire-related agricultural practices such as burning terraced fields in order to
lower the risk of forest fire.

The request followed
alarming forest fires in the northern mountainous region, the Central Highlands
and southwest, which have been seriously affected by prolonged dry
weather.

The highest-level
alert was announced in 19 cities and provinces nationwide, and 12 others were
warned of serious forest fires, according to a report released yesterday by the
Viet Nam Forestry Administration's Forest Management Department.

The Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment and the National Steering Committee on Forest
Protection and Development were assigned to co-operate with local People's
Committees to ensure safety in high-risk provinces and
cities.

Local authorities
were asked to keep a close watch on the warning system and promptly report any
blaze to the administration's hotline 098 666 8 333.

Dung also required
localities to prepare fire-fighting teams, materials and equipment to cope with
forest fires when needed.

Many provinces and
cities face the risk of forest fires and have sounded very high levels of alerts
during the dry season, according to the Department of Forest
Management.

Because of the dry
season, the park's management board focuses on protecting the forest by banning
people from burning fields as a precautionary measure.

Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said all localities have to
implement forest-protection and fire-prevention regulations and improve their
fire fighting capabilities.

They should educate
people about the dangers of forest fires and measures to prevent them, he added.

Firefighters battle
with HoangLienNational
Park fire

A fire is raging
through a large area of the HoangLienNational
Park, about 10 kilometres southwest of LaoCaiProvince's Sa Pa District.

The fire broke out on
Wednesday afternoon in Ta Van Commune and strong winds and the cold weather have
helped it to spread.

There's a risk of it
spreading to the primeval forest.

Firefighters and the
local people have been mobilised to help douse the fire.

Doan Van Huong,
chairman of the provincial People's Committee, asked the authorised agencies to
help the firefighters immediately in stamping out the fire. About 500 people,
including fire fighters, police, rangers and locals have joined the job.

Nguyen Van Vinh,
secretary of the provincial Party Committee said on the scene that it took more
than three hours to walk through the forest trails to approach the nearest
fires. The province has sent around 300 more people from 13 communes to support
the fire fighters.

The fire would be
under control by early morning at the latest, he said.

Initial statistics
showed that tens of hectares of forest have been burnt up.

Two fires broke out
in the park during the past month, destroying hundreds of hectares of forest.
The cold weather, lack of rain and low humidity were the main reasons for the
fires.

The forest is located
more than 1,500 metres above the sea level and is 30 kilometeres away from
SaPa, the popular tourist town. The park is home
to Fansipan, the tallest peak in Indochina.